Where to Get Free B-Roll for YouTube Videos

The short version: Pexels, Pixabay, Coverr, Mixkit and Videvo are the main free b-roll libraries worth bookmarking, and government archives like NASA and the Internet Archive give you footage nobody else on YouTube is using. The real skill isn't finding free clips, it's knowing when free stock footage helps your video and when it just makes it look like every other channel's video. I'll give you the list, the licences to check, and the workaround that beats all of it.

The problem nobody mentions about free b-roll

Here's what the "top 10 free b-roll sites" roundups won't tell you: the most popular clips on Pexels and Pixabay get downloaded hundreds of thousands of times. That shot of someone typing on a laptop with coffee steaming next to it? You've seen it on a dozen channels already, you just didn't clock it. Free b-roll doesn't make your video look expensive. It makes it look generic, because thousands of other creators grabbed the exact same five seconds of footage.

That doesn't mean skip free b-roll. It means use it as filler, not as the thing carrying your video. Save your original footage, your screen recordings, your phone shots of your own desk and your own hands, for the moments that matter. Use the stock stuff for the transitions and the generic cutaways nobody's watching closely anyway.

Where to get free b-roll

These are the libraries I'd check first, in the order I'd check them:

• Pexels - the biggest general library, no attribution required, good 4K options, strong on lifestyle, nature, business and tech footage.
• Pixabay - similar size to Pexels, slightly weaker on polish but deep on everyday scenes: kitchens, offices, streets, weather.
• Coverr - smaller library but more cinematic, aimed at landing pages and intros, good for mood shots and openers.
• Mixkit - free clips plus free templates, sound effects and transitions in one place, handy if you're editing fast.
• Videvo - mix of free and paid, filter hard for the free tier but the quality on the free clips is decent.
• Mazwai - much smaller, more artistic, worth a look if you want footage that doesn't look like everyone else's.

Every one of these runs on some version of a Creative Commons Zero or custom free licence. Read the actual licence page before you upload, not the homepage blurb. Pexels and Pixabay allow commercial use including monetised YouTube videos with no attribution needed, but a small number of clips carry extra restrictions around identifiable people or branded products. Check the clip's own page, not just the site's general terms.

Government and archive footage: the goldmine almost nobody uses

This is the bit most "free b-roll" lists skip entirely. US government agencies produce enormous amounts of footage that's public domain by law, meaning no licence restrictions at all.

• NASA's media library has thousands of clips of space, Earth from orbit, launches and mission footage, all free to use including commercially, no permission needed.
• The Internet Archive hosts old newsreels, historical footage and public domain films going back decades, searchable and downloadable.
• The Library of Congress digital collections include historical film reels that almost no other YouTuber has touched because people don't think to look there.
• Wikimedia Commons has video files alongside its images, mostly under Creative Commons licences that require attribution, which is a small price for footage nobody else is using.

If your channel covers history, science, space, politics or anything with an archival angle, this is where you get footage that sets your video apart instead of blending into the Pexels soup.

A worked example: the bakery channel

Say you run a small bakery and you're making a 10-minute YouTube video about your sourdough process. You've filmed the hands-on parts yourself on your phone, which is right, but you need roughly 90 seconds of cutaway b-roll scattered through the video: shots of flour dust in sunlight, an oven door opening, a busy high street in the morning, someone pouring coffee.

At 5 to 8 seconds per clip, 90 seconds needs about 12 to 15 individual b-roll shots. Here's how I'd source them:

1. Search Pexels for "bakery," "flour," "oven," and "coffee pour" - you'll likely find 6 to 8 usable clips in under 15 minutes.
2. Check Pixabay for the gaps, especially "morning street" and "baker hands," since it's stronger on everyday scenes.
3. Download in the highest resolution offered, usually 4K or 1080p, so you can crop or zoom in editing without losing quality.
4. Save the licence page or screenshot it for every clip you use, in a folder named by video title, so if a copyright claim ever lands you can prove the source in seconds.
5. Drop the stock clips only where your phone footage has a gap or a shaky moment, not as the backbone of the whole edit.

Total cost: nothing. Total time: maybe 30 to 40 minutes of searching and downloading for a 10-minute video. That's the realistic time budget, and it's worth planning for rather than hoping you'll "find something" the night before upload.

Why your own footage usually beats free stock anyway

This is the uncomfortable bit. Watch time and retention are what YouTube's algorithm rewards, and viewers notice stock footage faster than creators think. The moment someone spots a clip they've seen on three other channels, trust drops a little. Your own phone footage, even shot badly with bad lighting, signals that a real person made this video. That matters more than most people assume when you're trying to build a channel that earns real money, whether you're checking what views are worth per 1 lakh or comparing long-form versus Shorts income. A video that keeps people watching because it feels real earns more than one that looks slick but generic.

So the real answer to "where do I get free b-roll" is: your phone, first. Stock libraries, second, for the gaps.

Free AI tools for b-roll and editing

If you're short on raw footage entirely, some free AI tools can now generate short background clips or repurpose footage you already have. If you've got a long video and need short cutaway clips pulled from it automatically, it's worth looking at free AI clip makers that turn long videos into shorts, since several of them also work for finding usable b-roll segments inside your own existing footage. Pair your finished edit with a strong thumbnail using one of the free AI thumbnail makers and royalty-free music from a real free music source, and you've built a full free production pipeline without touching a paid subscription.

Licensing mistakes that get videos claimed

A surprising number of copyright strikes on YouTube come from b-roll, not music. The usual causes:

• Using a clip that was uploaded to a free site without the uploader owning the rights, which does happen on smaller platforms.
• Mixing up "free to use" with "free with attribution" and skipping the credit, which breaches the licence even though the clip cost nothing.
• Using stock footage that features a visible brand, logo or recognisable person without checking the model release terms.
• Assuming a licence that applied on download day still applies months later, when some sites change terms retroactively for older uploads.

Keep a simple spreadsheet: clip name, source site, download date, licence type, link to the licence page. Takes two minutes per video and saves you from a Content ID headache six months down the line. If you're earning real ad revenue, especially from Shorts where margins are already thin, as covered in how Shorts monetisation pays out, a demonetised video over a licensing mistake is money you can't afford to lose.

Frequently asked questions

Is free b-roll safe to use on monetised YouTube videos?

Yes, as long as you check the specific licence on each clip rather than assuming the whole site is blanket-free, since a small number of clips on general libraries carry extra restrictions around people or brands.

Do I need to credit the source when using free b-roll?

Depends on the site: Pexels and Pixabay don't require attribution for most clips, while Wikimedia Commons and some Mazwai or Videvo clips do, so read the individual licence page before uploading.

What's the best free b-roll site for beginners?

Pexels, because the library is large, the search is good, and the vast majority of clips need no attribution and allow commercial use straight away.

Why does my video with free b-roll still feel generic?

Because the most popular clips get downloaded by hundreds of thousands of other creators, so your viewers may have already seen that exact shot elsewhere; mixing in your own phone footage fixes this fast.